


Gladiolus of the Sorrowful Conviction

by Pineapple_Daddy



Series: Flowers of War [2]
Category: Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu | Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Minor Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Unhealthy Relationships, but not really, creating a very unfortunate tag im sorry, i know nobody likes OCs but i needed someone for seliph to interact with other than loptous, sue me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:47:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 18,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26581630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pineapple_Daddy/pseuds/Pineapple_Daddy
Summary: Seliph, as he deals with the sudden destruction of his beloved family, finds the strength to keep going. To continue forward, even as war rages on and tragedy after tragedy plagues him. He promised his mother that he would put a stop to the root of it all, so he will. No matter what.Sequel to Heliotrope: Devotion Comes in Purple. I suppose you could read this first, but I highly recommend that you go read that first because it has all the context for the set-up of this fic.
Relationships: loptous/seliph
Series: Flowers of War [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1933528
Comments: 3
Kudos: 19





	1. Fungi Only Grows in the Dark

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, so, this sequel fic does not hold back right out the gate, so be warned. It does get pretty dark and touches upon very serious topics and I can only hope that I touched upon them with the proper amount of delicacy. I want to make it VERY CLEAR that this could be potentially triggering material, so please read with that in mind

The death of his mother was easily the worst moment of Seliph’s life. Not only did he have to witness her die in his arms, but his own brother was responsible and his sister had been warped somewhere far away. Seliph would have been killed himself if it weren’t for his mother taking Julius’ attack in his place, bearing the full brunt of the powerful dark magic. That single sacrifice was the reason he still lived, in more ways than one. 

Julius, now twisted and sadistic, found it amusing how Deirdre had so quickly and easily given up her life to protect Seliph. Seliph in turn lashed out, berating and scolding Julius for being so callous and heartless towards his own mother- their mother. This only made Julius laugh however and declared that he liked the fire and defiance that Seliph showed against someone who was in a much better position than himself. For that reason alone, he decided he’d let the older of the two live for a little while longer.

No time was wasted in having Seliph be locked up in a secluded part of Belhalla Castle, torn away from the life he knew and turning the home he grew up in into his own personal hell. He wasn’t allowed to leave and no one was allowed to see him aside from the guards who were tasked with making sure he couldn’t escape. He was barely even informed that he was staying in the desolate wing of the castle where all the storage rooms were located, meaning his new “bedroom” was actually just another standard storage room repurposed to be his living quarters.

The room itself was rather barren and only housed the most basic necessities. It had a bed, a wardrobe with spare clothing, a bedside table, and a tea table with a matching chair set up by the window. In short, it was a place for someone to go mad with boredom. Not even a single painting decorated the drab room lit by a lone candelabra placed upon the bedside table. Seliph had a guess as to what the goal in forcing him to stay here was, though he hoped from the very bottom of his heart that that wouldn’t be the case.

Of course, hopes are just that. Hopes that deny the true reality.

The first week trapped in that nightmare of a room was difficult beyond belief. Seliph was given no time to grieve for his lost mother or his missing sister outside of whatever dark hole his thoughts led him to in his solitude. All he could do was sit around and dwell on it with no real conclusion to move on from. He wasn’t even informed of what was done with his mother’s corpse and it ate away at him as, for all he knew, she could’ve been mutilated for whatever twisted reason Julius came up with.

And speaking of Julius, he too was a source of stress for Seliph. It was as if Julius was a completely different person and Seliph was inclined to believe so with how sudden the change was. A boy once adverse to the idea of fighting and hurting others now coldly murdered his mother and attempted to do the same to his siblings without hesitation. And to top it off, he didn’t stop there either. He also took it upon himself to personally take care of Seliph like he was some sort of pet, or more accurately a prized possession. Julius often came to deliver meals or to have tea or just if he felt like it, as Seliph had very quickly learned. And each time, it felt like talking to a monster that wore the skin of someone far too familiar.

It had only been a week of this, and Seliph already questioned how long he could take it for.

~~~

The first time Seliph built up the motivation to try and leave his confinement, it had already been a week and a half since his family was torn apart and he was locked away. Truthfully, he wanted to leave sooner than that, but it was hard to do so when he was still trying to move past what had led him to being in this position in the first place. He still wasn’t over it and he likely never would be, not when his mother died in his own arms to protect him, but at least now he wasn’t completely drained beyond belief. He at least had a little energy to try and see what would happen if he left his makeshift room.

Of course he should’ve expected that he’d immediately be met with a roadblock. All Seliph had to do was open his door before the two guards stationed outside of it crossed their lances together in order to block his exit.

“What is the meaning of this?,” Seliph demanded of the two guards.

“Our apologies, Prince Seliph, but we have strict orders to keep you from leaving,” the guard to Seliph’s left explained.

“By whom did you receive those orders?”

“I’m sorry, I am not allowed to divulge that information.”

“So it was my brother, then,” Seliph decided and when neither guard replied, he knew he was correct. As Seliph was one of the princes of Grannvale, the only people who had authority above him were his parents and his siblings. Were he not a bastard child and instead legitimate kin to Emperor Arvis, even his siblings wouldn’t have the authority to keep him locked up like this. But he was a bastard child and so he was unfortunately of a lower status than the rest of his family. With his sister missing, his mother dead, and his disbelief that his father would ever do something like this to him, Seliph had no other choice than to blame Julius for this.

“Can you at least inform me of what is going in the world beyond these walls?,” Seliph then asked.

This time, the guard to the right answered, “We aren’t allowed to tell you that either. Technically, we aren’t allowed to speak with you at all.”

“Why do you follow these orders? You realize you are actively keeping your Empire’s Prince hostage, yes?” Perhaps trying a different angle would convince them to let him go, Seliph decided.

“We have families to protect,” the left guard started. “If we disobey these orders, they will be in danger. Truly, we do not wish to keep you trapped here like this, but we don’t have much of a choice. If we could, we’d let you go.”

“I see… I cannot blame you for doing what you must to protect your loved ones,” Seliph replied, his desire to convince the guards to let him go suddenly dissipating. He was disappointed, yes, but there wasn’t much that could be done in this regard. “I understand that you’re in a difficult position.”

“If I may be honest, my Prince?,” the right guard asked.

“Go ahead.”

“Were I to have a say in the machinations of the royal family, I would support your ascension to the throne one hundred percent.”

Despite the circumstances and despite the things Seliph has been through and is still going through in such a short time, that one statement put a small smile on his face. “I thank you,” he said. “It is reassuring to know I have the support of someone, even if it is just one person. If I may, what are your names?”

“My name is Ulric,” the left guard introduced.

“And I’m Tybalt,” the right finished.

“A pleasure to meet you both,” Seliph said. With that their conversation was over and Seliph returned to the solitude of his room. He may not have gotten any closer to his freedom or learned of anything that was going on, but at least not everything in the world was turning out to be entirely bleak.

~~~

“Good evening, Spawn of Naga,” Julius started, pleasantries reeking of false friendliness. “I think you’ll find I have some interesting news to share with you today.”

It’s been a month since Seliph was first locked away in Belhalla Castle and in that time he had come to understand a few things concerning his situation. Firstly, Julius liked to visit often for whatever reason he could find as an excuse. Usually, those reasons were to torment Seliph with knowledge of the outside world, specifically the things that would cause him to feel the most despair. Secondly, Julius also saw to it himself to take care of the basic needs that Seliph had, like giving him food and water. Aside from Ulric and Tybalt who were just outside his door at all times of the day and night, this meant that Seliph’s only other company was Julius. For once, Seliph wished he could get anyone else to talk to, anyone at all.

“I don’t want to hear it,” Seliph said with a slight bite. The month of confinement had been exhausting and he was certain that, eventually, he would fully break down, but for now he still had the fire of defiance.

“Oh, are you sure about that?,” Julius teased, setting down a tray of food on the bedside table. As he walked around the end of the bed to take a seat by the window, he kept his eyes on Seliph the whole time. “You could at least look at me when I’m speaking to you.”

Seliph, sitting in the center of the bed with his legs tucked under him, refused to spare a glance towards his younger brother. He simply took to glaring at a particular stone in the floor and said nothing. It was better to stay silent and irritate Julius than it was to speak and only amuse him.

“Perhaps you didn’t hear me. I said ‘look at me when I’m speaking to you’,” Julius continued. It was clear he was already getting irritated, as Seliph predicted.

Still, Seliph said nothing, unwilling to give the demon before him what he wanted. Instead, he ever so slightly turned his body further away from Julius.

A growl was Seliph’s only warning before he felt his long hair being violently yanked from behind, forcing him to lay back on the bed to look up at Julius’ eerily neutral face. “I told you to look at me,” he said, and all Seliph could do was try his best not to show just how painful the action was.

Julius returned to his seat after that, shaking a few blue strands from his hand to delicately fall to the cold hard ground. Seliph himself slowly rose from his uncomfortable position, carefully touching the part of his scalp that hurt most and turned to face Julius. “My apologies,” he begrudgingly spat out.

“There! Now was that so hard?” It seemed Julius didn’t care about the venom put into the “apology”.

Though Seliph was forced to look at Julius, he still refused to answer anything Julius said. He learned in the first week or two that it only served to entertain the younger of the two in quite possibly the worst way imaginable. Julius found it rather fun to torment Seliph just to see his reactions. It seemed like no matter how Seliph responded, Julius would find something about it to be amusing. Be it defiance or begrudging compliance, Julius simply liked to mess with Seliph however he could.

“My, you’ve certainly stopped being fun,” Julius sighed. He was a terrible actor, pretending like he was looking back on a happier time when he couldn’t be enjoying his current position any more than he already did. “But I think that’ll change this time. I have information on ‘our’ pathetic father.”

And Seliph wished he hadn’t reacted with such quick desperation in that moment. “What?! What happened to Father?!,” he practically begged, his earlier demeanor immediately disappearing in favor of a more demeaning one. During his whole month trapped in Belhalla Castle, he had yet to hear anything of his father or sister.

“Did I finally get your undivided attention?,” Julius chuckled. “You have a fire in you just like the wretched man who raised you, but you’re entirely too simple my dear ‘brother’.”

“Stop delaying and get to the point,” Seliph demanded. Though he had a lot of patience, he saved none of it for this new version of Julius.

“So impatient… Well, if you must know, it seems that old fool has ‘unfortunately’ been forced to step down as Emperor of the Grannvale Empire.”

“But then that means-,” Seliph started, but he was quickly cut off.

“That I am now Emperor in his stead,” Julius finished.

“How could that be?!,” Seliph exclaimed. “Father would never simply step down. He would have to be nothing short of dead before he’d let the throne pass on to you. Even then, when considering the monster you’ve become, he would most certainly pass it to me instead despite our lack of blood relation.”

“Denial. How very expected of you,” Julius said, sounding a bit disappointed. “You don’t need to worry your pretty little head over the details. Just know that your ‘Father’ isn’t as invincible as you seem to think. After all, he is still just a pathetic human. One who couldn’t even prevent his adopted kin from being held prisoner in his own home.”

Seliph didn’t say anything in response to that. It was pointless to continue the argument and besides, Seliph knew Julius was not lying. He may be cruel and ruthless nowadays, but he still never lied. And he certainly wouldn’t lie about his ascension to the throne, not when it gave him the power he desired. Which left Seliph to fear for what had happened to his father. Arvis was no pushover by any means, so what exactly had happened to force him out of his position of power? Seliph would likely never find that out for as long as he stayed a captive if Julius had anything to say about it. That thought alone was just as terrifying as merely learning that his father wasn’t Emperor anymore.

“Regardless, I’m sure you will simply love what I plan to do with the Empire,” Julius continued. “I can do anything I want now. I’m thinking for my first order as Emperor, I will begin conducting child hunts. How does that sound to you? I will create the perfect Empire where only a chosen few worthy to worship me may live.”

This new development could only spell disaster and tragedy for Grannvale- no, the world. Child hunts for the purpose of indoctrination as a first order was beyond atrocious, to the point that Seliph could only come to a single conclusion, “You are no longer my little brother. You are a wolf in sheep's clothing, wearing my brother’s face to lie and deceive and force him to do things he would never do in a million years. Only an unfeeling demon of untold cruelty could do something so awful. You make me sick beyond words and I pray to every god that would listen that you are stopped and put down for your crimes against humanity.”

“There’s that fire I love so much!,” Julius exclaimed. “I definitely made the right decision to keep you around, despite your wretched blood. Hell, maybe that blood is why it’s so fun to torture you this way.”

“Why do you hate my Naga blood so much?,” Seliph demanded, the previous conversation obviously finished. All this time, that one detail had yet to be explained to him even though Julius liked to bring it up at nearly every opportunity.

“You really want to know that badly? Fine then,” Julius started, a wicked grin spreading on his face. “You were right to say that I am a wolf in sheep’s clothing. My name is Loptous and I am what your people would consider a Dark God. The boy you know as Julius is merely a vessel for me.”

That was how Seliph learned his beloved younger brother was well and truly gone forever, possessed by a malevolent eldritch being. For the prince who had been locked away against his will, that fact was the final nail in the coffin. Nothing would ever be able to go back to the way things used to be for his once happy family now torn apart by this one tragedy.

~~~

The one thing that Loptous- not Julius, he could never be the real Julius- did not do when it came to taking “care” of Seliph was handling latrine issues. After Seliph was locked away in what was normally a storage room, the closest thing he got to a bathroom was a bucket that either Ulric or Tybalt would periodically clean out as part of their broad guard duty. In all honesty, Seliph found it extremely disgusting and revolting and felt immense embarrassment every time he thought about it. He also had to apologize to his two guards for the trouble, but they insisted it wasn’t a big deal. Still, it was beyond humiliating how he was getting treated this way and he just knew that Loptous greatly enjoyed that fact.

Even after two months of being trapped in Belhalla Castle, it didn’t get any easier or any less uncomfortable. Eventually, Seliph decided that he needed to do something about it, no matter what it took. He just couldn’t deal with the humiliation- or the smell- anymore. The question then was how to convince Loptous into moving him somewhere better, preferably a place with a proper latrine. Then the idea struck him as he was gazing out of his room’s solitary window.

Directly below the window was the entrance to the private gardens. And just about everyday, Seliph would notice that Loptous would pass by to go to the gardens so he could crush some of the flowers for fun. Or genuinely take care of them properly if he was in the mood, for some reason. If Seliph timed it right, then…

On that day, Seliph did something he never would have considered even once before his life was ruined and dumped the latrine bucket’s contents right on top of Loptous. He almost felt bad about doing it, but he assured himself that it was just Loptous he did it to, not his brother. Only Loptous.

Of course, Loptous was not very happy about it and the only thing saving Seliph from having to deal with his wrath immediately was the fact that he needed to clean up first. But eventually, Loptous would come and Seliph would have to face the consequences.

Seliph had gotten used to slight physical abuse from Loptous over the past two months. Yet, It wasn’t until then that he really understood just how brutal Loptous could really be. He suffered many bruises and lost chunks of hair and even suffered a concussion, but at least he was moved back to his actual bedroom where he had a proper latrine.

~~~

“Could you tell me a story?,” Seliph asked one night as he sat on the stone floor, leaning up against his door. The question was directed at Ulric and Tybalt who held their vigilant watch just beyond the wood that separated them. Even after Seliph was moved, the two of them were still assigned to be his guards and they both upheld that duty. “Perhaps… something happy and uplifting?”

The sound of shifting armour could be heard on the other side and Seliph assumed one of the two had sat down in order to be closer to their ward in spite of the barrier between them. “If I may, Prince Seliph, what is this about?,” a voice Seliph recognized as belonging to Ulric said.

“Please… just humour me this once,” Seliph said, his voice a bit too quiet, his tone almost pleading. It had been nearly five months since he was first locked away and three since he was moved to his usual bedroom, the windows having been boarded up after the bucket incident. Now he was well and truly cut off from the world outside this lonely room, unable to even see the sky.

To put it succinctly, it was hell. Seliph could hardly even tell that it was nighttime were it not for the few slivers of sunlight passing through the boarded windows being absent and had Loptous not left this very room hours ago. There was nothing to do and nothing to see and no way to communicate with the outside. It made Seliph feel like he understood a little better how awful being locked in a dungeon would feel, but at least he had nice furniture, proper plumbing, and a comfortable bed.

But then there was Loptous, always there to make even the few positives seem like nothing compared to all the despair. After five months, that demon of a supposed “god” had gotten bolder with his actions despite now having to leave the castle for political reasons every once in a while. Or perhaps it was because of that reason that he became bolder, hoping to make each of his visits count for all they were worth. Today had been one of the rougher of those days with Loptous constantly invading Seliph’s personal space and taunting the older prince about how his sister was still missing, how his father was pathetic, and even how his mother’s death was the most entertaining thing Loptous had ever witnessed.

It left Seliph utterly drained and numb and so he wanted something- anything- that might have even the slightest chance of cheering him up.

From the other side of the door, Seliph could hear a short conversation play out.

“Go ahead, tell ‘im a story, Ulric,” Tybalt started, egging on his elder coworker.

“What? Me? You know very well I’m not cut out for that sort of thing,” Ulric replied. “If anyone has a story to tell, it would be you.”

“Heh, you’d be surprised,” Tybalt chuckled. “I don’t get out enough to hear about those kinds of things. No time to go out and enjoy a good beer at the pub these days, so I got nothin’.”

“I don’t have the time either.”

“I could’ve told you that! Surely you’ve told your daughter bedtime stories before, though?”

Hearing that, Seliph finally spoke up, “You have a daughter?”

“...I do,” Ulric answered. “She’s my only child and a little older than you.”

“Tell me about her. What’s she like?”

“Well… if I had to describe her, I’d say she is very much a free spirit,” Ulric started. “She is courageous and reckless and she doesn’t let anyone push her around. If only you could see some of the troublesome things she gets into just to have some fun. Still, she is a kind and sweet girl to all she meets. I have to wonder though if she’ll ever settle down and start her own family when she’s older what with all her energy and the boys she’s rejected already.”

“She sounds like a lot to handle,” Seliph chuckled.

“In some ways, she is, but she is my daughter and I love her immensely for who she is. I wouldn’t want her to change at all.”

“Ha! You sound like one cheesy father right now,” Tybalt commented.

“Quiet you, nobody asked,” Ulric grumbled.

“What is her name, if you don’t mind my asking?,” Seliph questioned.

Ulric answered, “Ayleth.”

“Tell Ayleth that she has a wonderful father for me.”

“...I’ll be sure to do that, thank you,” Ulric said. “It is getting late, you should head to bed, Prince Seliph.”

“Perhaps you are right,” Seliph assented. He may not have gotten a story like he asked for, but it was still nice to hear a father talk lovingly about their child. It reminded Seliph of his own father who had once expressed great pride in his children. He was certain that, even now after everything had started to fall apart, Arvis still cared for him like a true son despite all that had happened. 

And hearing of Ayleth and her free spirit reminded Seliph of Julia. Julia may not have been the most outspoken with her thoughts and she may have been shy around strangers, but she was just as kind and good-natured. She was as sweet as a little sister could be and fiercely loved her family. Wherever she was, Seliph was certain that that fact had not changed in the slightest.

With those thoughts in mind, Seliph found it just a little bit easier to fall asleep.

~~~

Around eight or nine months into his captivity, Seliph started to really feel the hopelessness settle in. If it wasn’t Loptous taunting him every second of every minute that he was around (now accompanied by the uncomfortable closeness that the demon insisted upon), then it was the crippling loneliness that made him feel as such. Was it better to be entirely alone with naught else but yourself and the few possessions you had in a drab and cold, stone room? To know nothing of the world beyond one, solitary door and to hear from no one at all? Or was it better to have company, even if the only one you’d get was a mentally manipulative and abusive god that cared for nothing but his own entertainment? Seliph berated himself over thinking they were his only options, though it no longer helped to do so.

Seliph’s only semblance of solace were the two kind guards that stood watch just beyond his door. They would indulge Seliph in friendly conversation when they could and they took care of his needs when Loptous was not around to do it himself. They had never once been rude or expressed ill will, only deep regret that things had turned out this way. But not even they were safe from Seliph’s progressively darkening thoughts. After all, they were still the only things blocking the easiest route of escape and, more than that, they were aware of everything that was going on. Not just what was happening in the outside world, but also what was going on within the prison that Seliph’s room had become.

Tybalt and Ulric may not have been able to hear everything about Seliph and Loptous’ conversations and daily interactions, but they could hear the screams and the sound of more than a couple objects breaking. They could hear as things progressively got not just worse but more violent as Loptous started to take out his growing frustrations on Seliph and as Seliph did his best to fight back. They heard all of it and they no doubt saw the results in the form of bruises and bloodied bandages, yet still they did nothing. They were entirely complacent in the injustice being done.

And the worst part was that Seliph couldn’t help but simultaneously hate them for it yet not blame them for it. They were not bad people at heart, simply men who were at the mercy of a tyrant ruler just as Seliph himself was. They were simply trying to protect their families, for Seliph knew that if they failed their duty, Loptous would not hesitate to kill everyone they love. That fact coupled with their somewhat comforting (if complacent) treatment of Seliph was why he only berated himself more for feeling any sort of animosity towards them. He almost wished Tybalt and Ulric were just as cruel as Loptous if only so he didn’t have to feel such things.

Yet still, that was not the final nail in the coffin. Over the months, Seliph had tried to escape time and time again, always being met with failure. He could not sneak past the guards as they took turns keeping watch during the night and he was much too small and physically weak to fight them. He could not find a single secret passage in his room that could’ve led him away from his bedroom into another part of the castle. He could not destroy the boards covering his windows and escape through there as they were too thick. He could not jump from said windows anyway, lest he die upon impact with the ground several metres below. He could do nothing. Only accept the fate that had been handed to him.

It was all so exhausting. Too exhausting.

If his mother were watching over him now, what would she be thinking? Would she cry for her eldest son who she was helpless to do anything for? Mourn for everything that had been lost to the hands of a damn book cursed with the dark power of a malevolent god? Seliph wanted her to come back to him so badly, to once again hold him in her warm and comforting embrace and tell him that everything would be ok. To sing a lullaby as she did when he was a child, one that would make him feel like nothing would ever hurt him, that nothing bad could ever happen again. But that would never happen, she was gone forever, and she would no longer be able to wake her child from the nightmare that plagued him.

Seliph was well and truly in a hopeless situation.

~~~

Even though Seliph was certain that Loptous hated him with every fiber of his being, for some reason that monster was strangely intimate. It was so much so that any onlooker with no knowledge of the real situation might think their relationship is… something else entirely. It started with Loptous gently stroking his stolen fingers through Seliph’s long strands of hair. At first, Seliph believed it to be some sort of psych out tactic where Loptous would only pretend to be gentle before suddenly yanking as hard as he could, but that inevitable yank never came.

It unsettled Seliph beyond words how Loptous was suddenly so invested in treating him delicately, especially when it was still a common occurrence for him to get beat by his captor. But those gentle strokes through a cascade of blue started months ago and only progressed from there. After that, Loptous moved on to petting him and then stroking the sides of his face, the gestures light and soft, much like a caress. It made Seliph sick to his stomach and he would turn away from those touches every opportunity he could get, sometimes irritating Loptous and sometimes pleasing him. It always depended on his mood for that day.

The only saving grace from the uncomfortable situation was that, as Loptous got busier and busier with terrorizing the world as Emperor, he had to leave for longer periods of time. Where he went and what he did, Seliph didn’t know outside of what Loptous told him himself. He only knew when Loptous was gone at all because Tybalt or Ulric would bring him food and do other miscellaneous chores for him instead. Yet, even this had its drawbacks.

Because Loptous had to spend more and more time away from his captive, he decided that he needed to make better use of the time he did have at Belhalla Castle. He got even bolder in his actions and his unwanted touches wandered further down to places that should’ve been left alone.

Seliph wanted to fight back. He tried to fight back. But there wasn’t any point in doing so. His efforts only rewarded him another set of bruises or cuts or lost hair or even starvation for a day or two. Everything he tried to do only made things worse for him in some way. Yet still he did it because it was the only semblance of power he had. It gave him a sort of twisted satisfaction to see Loptous just as beat up as he was on occasion, but it made Seliph sick to his stomach because that was once the face of his loving younger brother. He was breaking down and losing the last bit of sanity he had left to hang on to as time approached the one year anniversary of getting trapped in his own personal hell. 

All Seliph could do was wonder how things had ended up spiraling so far downward. He wondered that for ages until his thoughts were finally broken by the sound of Loptous speaking right next to his ear and he was reminded of where he was. He was sitting in the center of his bed, Loptous holding him around his waist from behind with his chin placed on Seliph’s shoulder.

“I do so wish I had something interesting to tell you today, Spawn of Naga. Your father is still spineless, your sister is still missing, and my child hunts are going well,” that monster said. He still sounded so much like Julius, even after all this time. It was a painful sound, Seliph noted. “How unfortunate that there is nothing new to say.”

“What a shame. Truly, that is quite troublesome,” Seliph responded, soulless and sarcastic. He could feel Loptous tighten his grip around his midsection. It wasn’t an unfamiliar feeling anymore and Seliph went unbothered by it, never breaking his gaze that stared straight ahead at the wall in front of him.

Loptous gave a breathy chuckle. “My, you’ve become much more sarcastic than you used to be,” he said. “I almost miss the pure and innocent side of you. No matter, perhaps it is just teenage angst. Today is your fourteenth birthday, yes?”

It’s true. Today was Seliph’s fourteenth birthday, but it wasn’t like that mattered much at this point. He wouldn’t get to spend it with his mother and father and his adorable little siblings anymore. Only the biggest source of pain and suffering Seliph had ever known to be a part of his life.“Yes, it is,” he simply answered.

“Hm, perhaps I should stay for a little while longer than usual,” Loptous suggested. “No one wants to spend their birthday alone, do they?”

Seliph certainly didn’t believe that, but he didn’t say it. Truthfully, he wanted nothing more than for Loptous to leave him alone for once, to stop tormenting him with his actions now permanently and unfortunately associated with Julius. Instead, he asked, “What do you want from me? Why do you keep me here, trapped like a bird in a cage, when you could so easily dispose of me instead?”

“Curious? I suppose I did initially attempt to kill you,” Loptous started. “Very well, I will humor you. You are powerless and so I am free to do whatever I wish to you. It is much more fun to keep you around as my plaything than it is to simply rid myself of you. Either way, I get at least a small bit of vengeance against that gods-forsaken wench, Naga, by tormenting those blessed with her blood.”

“So I am a mere toy to you…”

“I suppose you could put it that way, yes. But you’ve been a very entertaining toy indeed. I may even let you live long enough to see all that I wish to accomplish come to fruition. Be glad that you are even being considered to be granted that opportunity.”

“I hate you- no, I despise you and loathe you with every fiber of my being. I would rather die than see whatever you have planned for Jugdral,” Seliph spat.

“And such is why I so desire to keep you all to myself. That defiance is what I love most,” Loptous chuckled as he moved a hand to rest upon Seliph’s upper thigh.

“Regardless of my defiance, no matter what I say or do, you will always come to that same conclusion. You’re much too sadistic to simply kill me,” Seliph pointed out. “You tell me I am the simple one, but really, it is you who is easy to understand.”

“Is that so? You really think me to be simple?,” Loptous asked, the tone of his voice making Seliph just the slightest bit nervous. “Shall I show you the err of your words? Do something even you who seem to know me so well would never expect?” He didn’t wait for an answer before he started reaching up underneath Seliph’s shirt.

“Stop this,” Seliph demanded, trying to push the curious hands away. “Right now.”

“And why should I?,” Loptous challenged, undeterred in his actions. “I believe I told you before that you have no power here. That I can do whatever I wish.”

“We’re both too young for this.”

“You are mistaken, then. I am a god. I am much older than you will ever be.”

“Even so, that body of yours is not.”

“That is true,” Loptous admitted. He pulled away from Seliph then and moved to be directly in front of his captive. His expression was devilish and pure evil as he watched Seliph. “But according to you I am sadistic. Such a trivial matter means nothing to me.”

Before Seliph could rebuttal, he was aggressively shoved onto his back and pinned down by Loptous. His heart started beating rapidly and the nervous feeling in his stomach quickly turned into nausea as he feared what he knew would happen next. Everything that had been done to him before would seem like nothing in comparison to what was about to take place. “Please… don’t do this,” he pleaded, sounding more pathetic than he would’ve liked.

“You can beg all you want,” Loptous said as he gradually grew closer and closer. “It won’t help you.”

The night of Seliph’s fourteenth birthday was spent screaming and fighting and yelling and crying until he had no strength left to fight back anymore. He was left broken and bruised, feeling drained and violated. There was no solace to be found for Seliph after that, not even the fact that he left the other party equally beat up. There was only pain and hopelessness.

~~~

The next morning, Seliph woke up sore and exhausted from the sleep that continued to evade him in favor of endless nightmares. It didn’t help that simply sitting down still caused immense pain, forcing him to move as slow and delicately as possible. He was certain that if he looked in a mirror he would look like an absolute wreck and, sure enough, he was proven right when he chanced a glance into the mirror hanging above his dresser. His hair was mussed and ratted from where Loptous had grabbed and yanked it, his neck and other areas were covered in bite marks and hickeys, his bottom lip was split in several spots thanks to yet another vicious bite, he had a black eye, and those were just the things he could see on his face. If one looked under the blanket he wrapped himself in, they’d see countless scratches, bite marks, bruises, and… sticky spots… all topped off with a serious limp that likely wouldn’t go away for at least another day or two.

Seliph felt as awful as he looked and he was barely able to pull himself together just enough to clean and dress himself before he settled himself unceremoniously on the floor. He had a spare, clean, blanket wrapped entirely around him with only his head past the tip of his nose peeking out in order to breathe. He laid there for hours and hours, not thinking, not feeling, not wanting to do anything at all. He hardly even noticed when Ulric entered the room and set a tray of food on the tea table.

“Prince Seliph?,” he asked, but Seliph did not answer. He didn’t even move.

“Shall I clean your room for you?,” he tried again, his voice and tone giving the impression that he was only seeking a response of any kind, not really an answer.

“Are you alright, my Prince?”

And that was what finally got Seliph to move from his spot on the floor. Slowly, he unfurled himself and stood up, the blanket draping him falling softly to the floor. “You people have kept me trapped here, unable to leave for nearly a year now,” he began. “I’ve tried to think of anything I could do to escape this place, but every step of the way I am faced with something that stops me. From you who keep watch on my door day and night to the boards that cover my windows to the demon you call an Emperor refusing to leave me alone for even a minute that he is here. I am confined to this hell with no escape and you have the audacity to ask such a question?!”

Ulric looked on, unphased but immensely filled with regret, as he witnessed Seliph finally snap.

“I have been abused and tormented and violated!,” Seliph continued. “I can’t take it anymore! I want my father and my sister! I want my sweet and kind little brother back instead of that bastard of a ‘god’ that stole him from me! I want my mother and her sweet embrace!,”In his rage, he picked up one of the tea cups that had been brought to him and threw it at Ulric. The porcelain glass shattered easily against the chestplate he wore, but still, Ulric showed no reaction other than the sadness on his face.

At this point, Seliph was on the brink of sobbing, his breakdown taking full control, yet still he was not done. “And all this time, you have known. You have watched as I am torn and broken down until there is nothing left of me but hate and despair. You heard the horrible things being done to me, not just last night but during my entire time of captivity here! Still, you do nothing and still I am left to suffer alone. You disgust me beyond words.”

Finally, Ulric found it in himself to speak, “I have no excuses for my complacency in your treatment. I fully accept that I have done you a disservice by sitting idly by.”

“I don’t care,” Seliph admitted. “Whatever you have to say, I don’t care to hear it. If you cannot free me from this place and you cannot give me my family, then leave me be. Begone from this place and rid me of your presence! Get out of my sight, get out!” With a final scream demanding he be left alone, Seliph completely snapped and threw the entire platter of food to the ground as Ulric fulfilled his wishes and left.

Seliph hardly cared about his actions now that he was so worked up over his bleak circumstances. In the end, when he finally tired himself and he could once again feel the soreness in his body past the adrenaline of his rage, he had practically destroyed his entire prison of a room. Alongside the food and porcelain littering the floor from a ruined lunch, curtain drapes hung limp and loose as they were halfway torn from their rack, blankets and bedsheets from the already soiled bed littered the floor and toppled furniture, the tea table was turned over, the wardrobe was left fallen onto its side with its contents spilling onto the floor, and the drawers of the dresser were chipped from the way they were violently scattered across the room. He even managed to put a chip or two in the stone floor in the process, but none of it made him feel any better.

At this point, Seliph believed the only thing that could make him feel anything other than despair would be the cold clutch of death. That night he dreamed of it as he lay upon the cold stone floor and dreamed that he finally felt freedom for the first time in an entire year.

~~~

“Prince Seliph, it is time you take your leave of this place.”

That simple string of words alone were just enough to break Seliph’s attention away from staring soullessly at the rays of light creeping through the boarded windows. They were words he had dreamed about hearing for months and months and months, but had given up on ever hearing at all. Yet here he was, hearing them fall from Ulric’s mouth.

Slowly, Seliph turned to look at the elder of his two guards who stood just within the boundaries of the room. In Ulric’s hands were a bundle of food, a small money sack, a cloak, a water canteen, and a sword too small for him but just right for a young teenager. “Come again?,” Seliph asked.

“You are finally going to leave this castle, once and for all,” Ulric elaborated, his expression and tone dead serious.

“You speak the truth? Do I truly get to leave, or is this some sort of trick set up by your blasted ‘Emperor’?” Seliph wished he didn’t feel the need to speak with such venom, but he had to be sure. Be absolutely certain that this was finally his chance at freedom.

“I follow no emperor who treats his own kin such as he’s treated you,” Ulric declared, his resolve firm and his tone unwavering. “I have been idly standing by as such injustice is done for far too long. I will do so no more.”

Still, Seliph needed one more thing to be entirely sure of Ulric’s determination. Something that would prove, without a doubt, that he was fully committed to going against such a cruel and powerful emperor as Loptous. “Are you certain? What of your family, of Ayleth? Are you truly willing to sacrifice their safety in exchange for my freedom?”

“They, too, are unhappy with how things are unfolding for our home of Grannvale,” Ulric started. “Were they to learn that I had willingly participated in keeping you, a more worthy heir to the throne, locked up as a prisoner to be used and abused, they would no longer want me in their lives. I must follow what I believe to be right, for their sake just as much as it is for yours.”

“I suggest you hurry up in there, little Prince,” Tybalt spoke up from where he leaned against the wall just outside the room. His tone was light and a bit playful, but still had a bit of urgency to it. It seemed he too wished for the same thing as Ulric. “We don’t have all day to get this done if you want to leave.”

Hearing the two guards speak, both devoted to helping him escape, Seliph was certain of one thing: this truly was the day he had long been waiting for. A year and a month had gone by and now he would finally be able to leave it behind him. “Then shall we go?,” he said as he took Ulric’s hand.

Together, the two absconded from the castle as quickly and quietly as they could, Seliph clad in the royal blue cloak Ulric brought him to hide his appearance. They winded through corridor after corridor of the castle, making sure to avoid anyone and everyone they could and there was little time for Seliph to think about how he had almost forgotten what the rest of the castle looked like. He couldn’t think about the consequences of his actions in doing this or how Tybalt stayed behind either, only focusing on following Ulric both through the castle and eventually through the streets of Belhalla. Still, Seliph couldn’t help but feel the pounding of his heartbeat and the adrenaline pushing him forward making him nervous, his paranoia that something would go wrong because they always seem to eating away at him.

It was fortunate that that day happened to be one where Loptous wouldn’t be around, or perhaps that was on purpose. As was explained hastily along the way, both Ulric and Tybalt worked together to plan Seliph’s escape. Ulric would take charge of leading Seliph away to safety while Tybalt stayed behind to cover their escape via distractions. Despite the risks involved, they practically made it to safety once they reached the city since there was no one around who would rat them out. Still, it wasn’t enough and they had to keep going, running until they made it to the very edge where few houses stood just barely close enough to consider them part of Belhalla.

The scenery here was much, much different than what Seliph had unfortunately gotten used to. The sky was clear and remarkably blue, stretching out forever and ever. Rolling hills reached as far as the sky could see, the green grass and the surrounding farmland lush and vibrant with life. The sun in the sky was as bright as it could be as it hung overhead, the perfect visual representation of the hope that Seliph was being given as he took in his surroundings.

It was a beautiful sight and it practically took his breath away to finally see it once again.

“I’m afraid this is where we must part ways, my Prince,” Ulric said, turning to face his young charge and breaking Seliph out of his reverie. In his hands, he held out the various things he had grabbed before they left the castle. “From here on, you’ll have to make it on your own.”

Seliph was afraid he’d hear something like that at the end of this little escape mission. “I… I understand,” he said, pulling the cloak closer around himself before taking what was offered to him. To his belt, he strapped the sword, money pouch, and water canteen. In his hand, he clutched the bundle of food. “It must have been difficult enough just to bring me this far. I thank you for that. And… I must apologize for some of the things I’ve said and done. It was very unlike me and you did not deserve to be the target of my wrath.”

“Please, think nothing of it. I cannot blame you for anything,” Ulric assured him. “This is the least I can do for you, it is not much, but I hope it will be enough for your journey. Wherever you go, I only ask that you stay safe, my Prince.”

Seliph dearly wished he had more time to say all he had to say, but it wouldn’t be long before someone still loyal to Loptous noticed that something was off, that he had escaped. But he didn’t and so he could only say one thing, “I promise you that one day I will return to this place, but it will not be as a prisoner. It will be as a prince, ready to take his rightful place on the throne and I will make things as they should be. No matter how long it takes, I will see that promise through.”

It had been over a year, but still, Seliph remembered the promise he made to his mother. Even now, even after everything, he wanted to fulfill it. And so, here and now, he steeled his resolve further and renewed that promise. The dawn of a new journey was on the horizon.

“And I shall wait for you,” Ulric replied, a small smile on his face. A sight Seliph was glad he got to see once before leaving. “If anyone can help change things for the better it would be you.”

With one last understanding nod shared between the prince and his guard, they turned and headed off in opposite directions. Ulric returned to the castle, fully prepared to deal with the fallout of his and Tybalt’s turncoat actions. Seliph walked further and further away from Belhalla, the farthest he had ever dared to venture away from home before. This was the start of a long chain of events, one that would hopefully lead to a better future for all.

For once, Seliph found himself looking towards a tomorrow that was not painful and bleak, but rather hopeful and bright. If his mother was watching over him, he hoped that she would be proud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I didn't make this too dark. Considering the actual canon events of FE4 I'd like to think this is something that could easily happen, especially when you remember what happened to Lene during the chapter she's introduced in. Of course, I did put a lot more detail into it than what canon did with Lene, but that's because of the nature of writing a fanfiction versus writing in-game dialogue. Dialogue only gives a characters verbal account of things such as reactions to events or whatever viewpoint they're willing to admit. With writing though, a lot more detail is needed in order to paint the scene since the reader can't physically see it, both with what is going on in the surroundings as well as the thoughts/view points of the main character. Basically, what I'm saying is, I hope I didn't cross a line and make it too dark, I promise things will get a little better. It just might take a bit to get to the happier moments.
> 
> Also, can I just say that I wish Loptous was fleshed out in canon a bit more? He's obviously just a pure evil motherfucker, but we don't get to see that much of him, which sucks. I wanna see more of his conniving and manipulative nature and so I tried to characterize him a bit more here, hopefully it wasn't too OoC or something.
> 
> Anyways, as always please let me know what you think in the comments or leave kudos if you like it! Thank you for reading!


	2. The Azalea and The Peony bring with them Delphinium

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry that this took so long to get out ('-_-) I had a hard time deciding what I wanted this chapter to be and ended up going through several rewrites until I ended up with this. It is absolutely painful to write 13 pages, read them, and then not like it enough to not not delete the whole thing and start all over :') In the end, this is what I came up with. As a nice little bonus, it ended up being longer than my usual average of 6k words per chapter, so please enjoy!

“What do I do now?,” Seliph wondered out loud.

It’s been several hours of nothing but walking since he left Belhalla and the sun was quickly retreating behind the horizon. By now, he was thoroughly exhausted, unused to such physical exertion after sitting around in a single room for a whole year. Seliph wouldn’t complain, though. No matter how difficult, he was granted this one chance to move forward so he would overcome anything to fulfill his promises. Still, that was easier said than done and now he found himself slumped against a tree by the side of the road, trying to rest but unable to thanks to his whirlwind of thoughts.

If he was to be honest, he long since stopped believing that he would make it even this far. He had no idea what to do, where to go, and most importantly, how to care for himself all on his own in the outside world. Nearly his entire life had been spent in a castle, well cared for and doted on by his parents. All he knew about the outside world was what he had read in books before he was made into a deranged god’s plaything. Even then, a year had passed with Loptous in power and the world had no doubt taken a turn for the worse. There was a high chance that things would be more dangerous than normal no matter where Seliph went.

It was even likely that once Loptous learned of his escape, Seliph would have to be on the lookout for soldiers sent to capture him and bring him back to Belhalla. Or worse, he could be forced to stay at Loptous’ side at all times just so that monster can personally make sure he never escapes again. If either of those things happen, then it’s all over. Seliph had to do everything in his power to keep them from happening.

But the power he currently had was nowhere near enough. Put simply and plainly, Seliph wouldn’t be able to defend himself if push came to shove. Though he was thankful to be given a weapon of any kind, Seliph felt he was more of a danger to himself than anyone else with how little he knew of swordplay. Earlier that day he had tried a couple times to start getting used to swinging it around, but the unfamiliar weight combined with his out of shape body only caused him to flail around dangerously. If he were able to get his hands on a staff or a light tome, this wouldn’t be such a problem, but he couldn’t and so he had to get stronger and figure out how to use a new fighting style if he was ever going to get anywhere.

If nothing else, he at least had a goal. Before anything else, he needed to find Julia wherever she was. Seliph refused to entertain the thought that she could have died even though her being missing for so long could suggest as such. He couldn’t bear it to lose another family member on top of the ones he’s already grieved over. She had to be somewhere out in the world and so he needed to see her safe and sound before he did anything else. He would even travel across the other nations of Jugdral to find her if he needs to.

After he found her, though, Seliph wasn’t sure. He’d have to stop Loptous somehow and hopefully along the way he’d be able to meet up with his father again, but he wasn’t sure how to go about doing either of those things. He’d probably need nothing short of an army in order to take down Loptous, which wouldn’t be easy to rally together by any means, especially for a severely inexperienced teenager. Not even his title as Prince would help him with that since his existence wasn’t exactly publicised due to his ‘bastard child’ status. Seliph doubted anyone who hadn’t personally visited Belhalla had ever even heard of him, not even a rumor. It was possible that if he found Julia, she would be able to act as a figurehead to get troops to rally behind their cause in his stead, but Seliph would rather avoid doing that to his sister. He’d just have to hope and pray that there was already a somewhat successful rebellion or war going on- as awful as that sounded- so he could join the side that opposed Loptous.

That left the issue of what Arvis was doing. As far as Seliph understood from what little he could get from Loptous, his father was still heavily involved in the Empire’s dealings despite his dethroning, albeit with a catch. That catch being that Arvis is in a tight spot, trying to wrestle control back from Loptous and trying to go against the new policies put in place yet being manipulated into being just another pawn in Loptous’ game. What kind of power Loptous was using to subdue someone who had once been so powerful, Seliph had no idea and was scared to find out.

For a fleeting moment, Seliph wondered if he was being used as leverage against Arvis. He wouldn’t put it past Loptous to do such a thing, especially since his life was quite literally in Loptous’ hands during his imprisonment. Though they weren’t truly father and son, Seliph knew Arvis cared for him as though they were and he knew his adoptive father would never do anything that would put him in danger. He could only hope that now that he was free that it would make it a little easier for Arvis to act against Loptous. For now though, Seliph couldn’t risk trying to meet up with his father or else he could easily get caught. He didn’t like it, but he’d have to worry about it later.

For now, his only goal was to survive, to get stronger, and to find Julia at all costs.

~~~

Seliph woke up feeling very sore and struggling to stay standing. The night was cold and the ground was hard and all Seliph had to protect himself from the elements was the cloak he wrapped around himself and the bush he managed to hide himself in. It was far from a comfortable sleep but Seliph relished the fact that he was able to sleep at all. As of late, it was rare for him to not have a restless night ruined by countless nightmares. Perhaps being outside and far away from the source of those nightmares made it easier. Or maybe it was just the exhaustion of walking for so long that let him sleep without issue.

Either way, a decent sleep did not stop Seliph from feeling the soreness in his legs that made it hard to walk. Still, he needed to just suck it up and keep going despite the pain. He hardly even took breaks to snack on the few rations he had (fruits first since they rot fast, jerky for last since it’s non-perishable, stale bread is fine but moldy is not so don’t wait too long, etc.). He simply kept going and ignored the pain as much as he could just so he could keep up the pace. If he took a break every time he felt a bit too tired, he would get nowhere. Such slow progress wouldn’t be acceptable.

Eventually, however, the pain got to the point where he could no longer neglect it and so he begrudgingly stopped for the day and set up “camp” in a bush a little ways away from the trail. There wasn’t a lot of room in the bush and it was uncomfortable and snagged on his clothes, but it was necessary. If anyone came by and saw him, he didn’t want to risk being taken back to Belhalla for any reason whatsoever, whether or not they had been sent specifically to find him.

So that was how he “lived” for several days. Walking along the desolate trail rarely used by anyone other than merchants until he could do so no longer and trying to spread out his minimal rations as much as possible. Seliph was thankful the trail followed closely to a river letting him refill his canteen freely, but that wasn’t enough on its own. He still didn’t know how to hunt wild game or how to forage for edible plants and berries. All he could do was hope he made it to a village soon so he could buy more food with the money he had. He could worry about the eventuality of running out of money later.

Of course Seliph ended up not making it far enough to reach a village before he collapsed. He was just too exhausted and too weak to keep up the kind of pace required of him. He couldn’t even build up the energy to pull himself towards a hiding spot, instead just lying half-dead on the side of the road. It must have been a sorry sight, Seliph couldn’t help but admit. Dying here would be such a depressing way to go. And not just that, but disappointing as well. Finally getting freedom only to die a few days later because of his weakness had to be one of the most pathetic ways to go.

With those thoughts in mind, Seliph lost consciousness.

~~~

“-ake up. Hey, wake up already!”

Slowly and groggily, Seliph came to to the sound of someone speaking to him and the feeling of being lightly shook. He was so tired and exhausted and sore that he almost fell right back asleep, but whoever was bothering him was very persistent in not letting him do that. Eventually, Seliph registered that he had collapsed on the ground before he passed out and subsequently woke up by whoever was with him now. Which meant that said person must have been a stranger who happened upon him. Instantly, the revelation had Seliph jumping to the conclusion that he must have been found by a Grannvalian soldier and was about to be taken back to Belhalla. Needless to say, Seliph jolted upright and tried to increase the distance between him and the stranger, but that only served to agitate his sore muscles and remind him of his empty stomach. That’s not to mention the unwelcome headache that resulted as well.

“Hey, it’s ok! We’re not going to hurt you,” the stranger assured him. The voice sounded like it belonged to a girl and it was gentle and sincere.

It was then that Seliph got a good look at the person who had found him. They were, in fact, a girl around his own age, possibly a little older. She had thick, green hair tied back into a ponytail with a red bow and she was clad in pink mercenary clothing. At her side, she had a rapier sheathed and strapped to her belt. Her expression was kind and welcoming and spoke of no malice or harmful intent whatsoever. “We?,” Seliph asked, still wary but calmed down enough to get a hold of his bearings.

“Let me introduce myself: my name is Lene,” the girl- Lene- started. She gestured to her right towards a blonde boy leaning against a tree. Though he was dressed in flashy oranges and blacks with a thick red scarf giving the appearance of a traveling performer, his brooding expression and the menacing sword strapped to his hips didn’t match his attire at all. “And this is my companion, Ares. If you don’t mind my asking, what’s your name? Why were you passed out on the road all alone?”

“Oh- uh, my name is Seliph. I’m… on a journey to find my sister, but it seems I couldn’t make it very far,” Seliph explained. It was a bit embarrassing to admit that, for all his determination, he lacked the ability to see it through to reach his goal.

“Your sister? What’s she like?,” Lene asked as she extended a helping hand. Seliph took it and she helped him to his feet. “Maybe we’ve seen her. We tend to travel a lot, so we’ve come across all kinds of people.”

Seliph dusted off his dirtied clothes and answered, “Her name is Julia. She’s a little shorter than me, has long purple hair and wears a matching dress, and she’s shy around strangers but she’s probably the sweetest person you could ever know.” Mentioning that she had a brand on her forehead probably would’ve helped to narrow the search down significantly, but Seliph decided against that. He didn’t want to give himself away as well as call attention to the fact that the princess of the Empire is missing and wandering Jugdral somewhere.

“Hm… I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’ve seen anyone who fits that description,” Lene said to Seliph’s disappointment. “What about you, Ares?”

“I haven’t seen anyone like that, either,” the boy in question answered.

“Alright, thanks anyways,” Seliph said, a bit downtrodden. “I’ll just have to keep looking for her elsewhere.”

“If you want, you could travel with us for a little while,” Lene offered.

“Wait, really?”

“Lene, you’re being too nice again,” Ares spoke up. “He’s a stranger and a kid. We shouldn’t be bringing him with us.”

“Excuse me? I am not a kid, I’m fourteen. And I can fight,” Seliph argued. Sure, he could use some work and had a long way to go in terms of getting stronger, but he wasn’t completely dead weight. “I can use light magic and staves.”

“What about that sword you’ve got?,” Ares pointed out. “Can you use that?”

“Well, no, but-”

“You’re a cleric, then!,” Lene interrupted cheerily with a clap of her hands. “That’s great, actually! I work as a mercenary, so I tend to get banged up pretty often. Ares tries to help me the best he can, but that only leads to both of us having to deal with injuries. It would be more than perfect to have someone like you join us. Despite what Ares says.”

“Excuse me for not immediately trusting any random person we find face down in the dirt,” Ares argued.

“Ignore him, he’s just grumpy,” Lene joked to which Ares groaned. “So? Do you want to tag along? It’s completely up to you and you don’t have to stick around forever if you don’t want to.”

Thinking about it, Seliph realized that it wasn’t that bad of an idea. He’d be accompanied by others who could fight, so he wouldn’t have to rely entirely on his own strength, or lack thereof. Not to mention that he would easily be able to partake in mercenary work along with Lene to earn some coin for food and supplies. It was also safer to travel in a group rather than alone, especially for someone as young and inexperienced as him who knew little of the outside world. If he was lucky, he could probably even rope the pair into teaching him swordplay and helping him search for Julia. It would be the perfect way to ease into his new life on the road instead of trying to hoof it out on his own somehow.

But there were also negatives to tagging along with Lene and Ares. They knew nothing of Seliph’s nobility, let alone the mess that follows him because of it, and Seliph didn’t know enough about them to gauge what their reaction would be to finding out his secrets. If it was revealed that he was the Prince of the Empire and that he was being hunted down by Loptous, it was incredibly likely that the two travelers would rat him out to save themselves. And if Loptous was offering a reward for his return, then the chances of them turning him in upon finding out that secret only increased. It was a risky move to have faith in these strangers and hope they didn’t turn their backs on him.

In the end, Seliph decided it would be better to take that risk and trust Lene and Ares for now. However, he told himself that at the first sign of trouble or possibility that they’d betray him, he would make a run for it. As long as he was careful, he would get more out of them by sticking around for at least a little while rather than saying no immediately. He just needed to know one thing first, “Um- Where are you headed? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“We were on our way to Chettcott when we found you,” Lene answered. “Why?”

“I just wanted to make sure we were heading in the same direction,” Seliph explained. If they were planning to go to Belhalla instead, Seliph would’ve had no choice but to say no. “If it’s really alright with you, I’d be glad to tag along. Oh- but, I don’t have any staves or tomes on me, so I’m afraid I’ll be a bit useless to you.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it! It’s not much farther until we reach Chettcott, so I’m sure we’ll be able to get you something soon enough,” Lene assured him. “Shall we get going, then?”

Seliph’s stomach answered the question before he himself did with a loud growl. It seemed he forgot just how hungry he was again. When did it become so easy for him to ignore his hunger? “Er- Do you have something to eat first?,” Seliph asked.

Lene giggled while Ares just rolled his eyes and, for a small moment in time, Seliph thought this might not be so bad.

~~~

It was lucky that Lene was so willing to share what little rations she had on hand because Seliph himself had nothing left aside from a few breadcrumbs. Even just the few strips of jerky he was given were a more than welcome sight and he downed them in record time as he walked with his new travel partners. It was a bit of an embarrassing sight, but Seliph found that it didn’t bother him as much as it should have. Honestly, he was just too wrapped on how nice it was to finally eat something that wasn’t laced with the bitterness of knowing it came from a deranged god keeping him around as a pet. No, these few strips of jerky were from someone kind who only seeked to help him and that made it all the sweeter.

Aside from that, though, Lene and Ares were pretty nice as far as companions go and they were only two years older. Lene was obviously the more sociable of the two and easily chattered about anything and everything with Seliph, almost always leading the conversations. Ares, however, didn’t fit that sort of description at all. He didn’t talk much, except for when Lene forced him to take part in a conversation, and he only seemed to tolerate Seliph’s presence. It was as Lene said: he was naturally just grumpy, but it wasn’t without reason at least.

From what Seliph was able to get out of the two in conversation, Lene had been a mercenary for only about two or three years while Ares had been a traveling dancer for much longer. Their lines of work tended to lead them down a slippery slope of untrustworthy or shady individuals. Still, despite that, they had known each other nearly their entire lives. The reason for that being that they were raised in the same dance troupe ever since they were children. According to Lene (and against Ares’ wishes to keep it private), both of them had been orphaned and dumped off with said dance troupe where they were raised and taught the art of dance. They left the dance troupe to go on their own way shortly before Lene decided to become a mercenary, however.

“Why did you both leave the dance troupe?,” Seliph asked Lene, Chettcott still a ways off.

“To put it simply: I hated it,” Lene started. “I hated being a dancer. It attracted all kinds of… attention that I would’ve rather gone without. It wasn’t uncommon for men to offer me a bit of extra coin in exchange for a ‘special dance’ or try to force themselves on me anyways when I said no. Luckily, I’ve had Ares with me to fend them off, but still. It’s not exactly pleasant to be harassed so frequently.

It’s not just that, though. My mother was also a dancer. I thought to myself that maybe one day I would get to see her again if I kept dancing, but that day has yet to come. Instead, I only realized that I had been abandoned, that my mother was gone for good. So I quit dancing since I had nothing but pain to gain from it.”

“I see… I’m very sorry you had to go through all of that,” Seliph said sincerely. It was truly unfortunate that someone as kind of Lene had such a difficult upbringing.

“Don’t be! I’m fine,” Lene said. “I can’t change what happened, only move on from it. Hardships are unavoidable and make a person who they are. I certainly wouldn’t be the same as I am now if I didn’t go through those things. I probably wouldn’t have even met Ares if my mother had been around, so it’s not all bad. It just is what it is.”

“Move on…”

Lene had a point. A more positive outlook than Seliph would take, but a point nonetheless. Even before his family fell apart and he was imprisoned, Seliph struggled with the machinations of the royal court as he grew up. Many nobles disliked him simply because his father was unknown and he was always brushed aside in favor of his younger siblings, Julius in particular. He was always told he wasn’t allowed at any social events or to talk to the other noble children who often visited Belhalla. For all intents and purposes, he might as well have been considered the Ghost of Belhalla, there but not truly there in the eyes of others. If his father was known or he wasn’t cast aside by the court, would Seliph be an entirely different person? He had long since been used to his upbringing, but Lene’s words made him wonder.

“Well, anyways, that’s my story,” Lene continued, snapping Seliph out of his thoughts. “It’s your turn now, Aries. Unless you want me to tell it?”

“I absolutely do NOT want you to say anything,” Ares said, “and I’m not saying anything either.”

“So, the reason Ares also left the troupe is because-”

“Lene! Fine, I’ll spill it myself,” Ares caved, “but only if we get to hear your story in return, Seliph.”

“Alright, that’s a fair enough deal,” Seliph agreed. He’d have to abridge it and leave out some details though so they don’t figure out he’s a prince.

Ares sighed. “I left because Lene was going to leave,” he admitted with an embarrassed blush. “I have no qualms with the difficulties of being a dancer- I’ve accepted what comes with the territory- but I couldn’t just let Lene go off on her own. We’ve been best friends for so long that I couldn’t imagine what it’d be like without her.”

“And thank the Gods he did. Things would’ve been much more difficult without him,” Lene added. “Starting out as a mercenary was difficult since I lacked the experience and skills to find work. Ares was able to pick up my slack by performing for money.”

“Most dancers are women, which you’d think would mean that they are more in demand than men, but that isn’t exactly the case,” Ares clarified. “You’d be surprised by the amount of coin nobles will offer for my ‘services’, even more so because of how rare it is to find a male dancer. Not just women will pay, but even some men will, too. Make no mistake, though, I’m perfectly capable of fighting and defending myself.”

Suddenly, a lot of the gossip spread around by the Ladies at Belhalla Castle about men not their husbands made a lot more sense.

“Now, what’s your story?,” Ares asked.

Right, this is where Seliph had to pay attention to everything he said, lest he give away too much. “I must admit, I’d been well taken care of my whole life,” he started carefully. “My mother was loving and so was my adoptive father and my younger siblings and I got along well. I was perfectly happy and content with my family and the life I had. That is, until my mother was suddenly murdered by… by a crazed lunatic and my sister went missing.” It was so difficult having to refer to Julius as a crazed lunatic, but Seliph had to remind himself that it was just Loptous. He had to preserve Julius’ memory and not let it be tainted by that wicked god. “My brother also died that day.”

“Gods, that’s awful…,” Lene said. Her expression was sad, yet sympathetic. Even Ares couldn’t help but look at Seliph with the same sort of expression. “What about your adoptive father.”

“He’s… in a tight situation,” Seliph vaguely answered. “He’s trying to take down the person who ruined our family, but it’s difficult. That’s why I left home. I need to find my sister and I need to get stronger so I can help my father and make things right.”

“If nothing else, you have determination,” Ares commented. “That’s better than most people would have in your situation.”

Seliph couldn’t help but think, if only Ares knew the full scope of the situation. Then he’d really be surprised by how Seliph was still managing to push forward. Hell, Seliph is surprising himself for how well he’s able to handle retelling even just an abridged version of his story.

“It may not mean much, but we’ll do the best we can to help you,” Lene said. “Right, Ares?”

“Sure. Do anything to break our trust, though, and I won’t hesitate to cut you down.”

“Ares!”

“What? I’m just trying to be cautious here.”

Seliph couldn’t help but laugh.

~~~

“Dang, it doesn’t seem like this place sells light magic,” Lene sighed.

Upon arriving at Chettcott just a few minutes earlier, the first thing Seliph and Lene did was head to the village’s armory. Now that he was going to be joining Lene on her mercenary jobs, it was imperative that he get his hands on weapons that he could actually use. Unfortunately, the armory didn’t exactly have the greatest selection around, as Lene verbally noted. The building was small, it’s variety of wares even smaller as the few racks and displays had little to choose from. There were a few tomes available, but none of them happened to be light magic. Disappointing, but not unexpected since light and dark magic were the rarest of all magic. As for staves, all there was were basic heal and mend staves. At least there was something, at any rate.

Ares, meanwhile, was busy wandering around town looking for work for Lene as well as information regarding Julia at Seliph’s behest. Which is what left the other two in their company to do the weapon shopping. It wasn’t like they needed three people for the menial task anyways, so it was much more efficient for all of them.

Lene turned to Seliph and asked, “Is there any other type of magic you can use?”

“Um, I’ve used fire magic before, but I wouldn’t exactly say I’m very proficient with it,” Seliph answered. It made him cringe thinking about the time he asked Arvis to teach him fire magic only for him to nearly burn down Belhalla Castle in a fiery explosion. The castle servants were not very happy with him for a rather long time. “It would probably be best if I stayed away from any kind of magic that isn’t light.”

“In that case, it looks like our only option is staves. We have just enough money for a heal and a mend, if that works for you.”

“Yeah, that’s fine. Something is better than nothing.”

“But are you really sure? You won’t be able to defend yourself.”

“Yes, I’m sure, but” Seliph started, “that reminds me of something I wanted to ask of you. Since we’ll be travelling together from now on, would you and Ares be willing to teach me swordplay?”

The request made Lene burst out into laughter immediately.

“Wh-What’s so funny? Was it something I said?”

“Sorry, sorry,” Lene apologized as she wiped away her laughter induced tears. “I’d be more than happy to teach you what I know. It’s just- you might not want to let Ares be your teacher. Then again, that might be funny to watch- scratch that, definitely funny to watch.”

“Is he a bad teacher or something?,” Seliph asked. A small part of him was thankful Ares wasn’t around at the moment to hear the conversation. 

“I definitely wouldn’t say that. In fact, he’s probably one of the most skilled people you could find in terms of swordplay,” Lene elaborated.

“So why wouldn’t I want him as a teacher?”

“It depends: do you want to put up with his rigorous ‘training sessions’? He won’t go easy on you, no matter how inexperienced you are.”

“Do you speak from personal experience?”

“Not really, but when you travel with him as long as I have, you tend to just know these kinds of things.”

Seliph thought about Lene’s warnings for a moment. He needed to learn how to fight as quickly as he could so he wouldn’t be deadweight or hamper himself on his search. What he already knew how to do wouldn’t be enough. That was an undeniable truth. “I can handle it,” Seliph decided. “I need to know how to use a sword. I don’t care how difficult it is.”

“Oh? Then you just might be able to survive Ares,” Lene said. “Maybe, so long as that confidence isn’t for show.” If only she didn’t make it sound so terrifying.

“Hey, don’t worry too much about it,” Lene continued, getting a good chuckle out of Seliph’s nervous expression. “I’ll be there to help you out, too, so it won’t be as tough as I keep making it out to be.”

“Er- if you say so…”

“Anyways! Let’s get these staves purchased and go find Ares.”

So that was what they did. Pulling together their funds (which meant Seliph trying to use his small amount of gold to buy his staves only for Lene to pay for them herself regardless), they obtained a heal and mend staff. In spite of his cloak, Seliph was able to strap the staves to his back to carry them more conveniently. Though, the way the tops of the staves stuck out from under the royal blue fabric looked a bit funny. Either way, with that over and done with, the pair of travellers began to wander around the town.

Chettcott itself was a small place, humble yet bustling. As the closest settlement to Belhalla it often saw a lot of traffic from merchants and travellers going to and from Belhalla. Because of its location it made for a great checkpoint and place to rest before reaching Grannvale’s capital. Despite that traffic and higher than average economic income, however, it was just like any other village if just a slight bit on the larger side. But at the same time, all of those were reasons as to why Seliph refused to take off his hood. Ever since he entered town he had kept it pulled far over his head and did his best to obscure his face as much as possible.

What was interesting was that Lene didn’t question why he kept his hood on. Instead, she tended to focus more on her surroundings and what was going on in town. It was a bit strange to not hear her talking his ear off even though Seliph had only known her for such a short time. Maybe it was just because she was looking for Ares, but somehow that didn’t seem like the sole reason.

“Is something wrong, Lene? You keep looking around like there’s something troublesome afoot,” Seliph said, getting the pink-clad mercenary’s attention.

“Huh? Oh, sorry,” Lene apologized. “But haven’t you noticed? I thought that was why you’ve been keeping your hood up.”

“Notice what?”

“Some of the shady people around here,” Lene whispered, “are members of the Loptyr Church.”

Hearing just the word Loptyr made Seliph’s blood run cold. He had heard more than enough about that accursed cult to know what Lene was implying with her words. Loptous had bragged several times about all of his “worshippers”, though why anyone would ever worship that crime against life itself was a mystery to Seliph. However, beyond bragging, Loptous never spoke of what the cult’s purpose was or what they did to worship their patron god, only that they worshipped him and that it inflated his already massive ego. It seemed Seliph was going to find out those things first hand, whether he liked it or not.

“I’m, er- I’m not very familiar with them,” Seliph sort of lied. “What’s wrong with them?”

“You have to be kidding me!,” Lene gasped loudly before she looked around and went back to whispering. Luckily, not many people paid them any mind. “The Loptrians are evil bastards through and through. They worship some god named Loptous and they’re a huge part of the child hunts going on. Everywhere they go they steal children from their families under orders from the Emperor. I’ve never heard of them taking anyone over the age of thirteen, but I’d be extra careful if I were you.”

Lene didn’t need to tell him that. Seliph knew that he’d need to avoid the Loptrians at all costs. However, now he knew that even if they didn’t realize he was the escaped Prince, they would still deliver him right to Loptous’ doorstep were he to get caught. At least until he was too old to be hunted down, but by then they would all be made aware of how he had escaped and that he was to be returned to Loptous. No matter which way you cut it, they spelled trouble. If nothing else, now Seliph knew just how Loptous was conducting his child hunts: by using his deranged following to kidnap them. How deplorable.

“Alright, I’ll try.”

“Good. Now keep your head low like you’ve been doing while we look for Ares.”

Finding Ares, however, was easier said than done as Lene and Seliph currently found themselves in the town square where Chettcott saw the most traffic. People went to and fro going about their business, trying to sell and trade their wares or simply doing their shopping for the week. There were even a couple street performers here and there trying to earn a quick few coins. Yet, there were no children out and about playing games or accompanying their parents and there was a tense air left behind in their absence. That was when Seliph truly noticed the Loptrians.

In hindsight, the cult worshippers of Loptous were not difficult to spot at all. They wore dark, ominous robes and they whispered amongst each other like they were completely detached from the world around them. It was almost as if they despised other people and believed themselves to be superior from how much they seemed to avoid the common folk. They even occasionally sneered at passersby just further proving that they looked down on non worshippers. By the very definition, they were as shady as you could get.

Without warning, Lene grabbed Seliph’s wrist and tugged him along with her, snapping his attention away from the oblivious pair of Loptrians he had been watching. “Look, there’s Ares!,” she said.

Seliph followed where Lene pointed and, sure enough, he could easily spot Ares on the other end of the town square. It appeared as though he was dancing, a small group of people surrounding him and cheering as he did so. It seemed like the onlookers were enamored with Ares’ dancing and it wasn’t hard to see why: he was incredible at it. Ares moved with such grace and precision and the way he rhythmically swung his obsidian black sword along with the twists and turns of his body was mesmerizing. Just watching the dance had an energizing effect, but all too soon it was finished, the tail end of the performance being all Seliph and Lene could catch. With a raucous cheer from the small crowd, one by one the townsfolk left, some leaving a bit of coin as appreciation for the dance until all that remained of the viewers were Seliph and Lene.

“Nice work out there. I can tell you’ve been refining your sword moves,” Lene commented. “They’re looking much smoother now.”

Ares scooped up the pouch he was using to gather money and replied, “Good to know my practice is paying off. Damn thing got in the way so much before I started incorporating it into my performances. I got a decent payload this time, by the way.”

“And how much would ‘decent’ mean?”

“Oh, I don’t know, how about you try around ten k?”

“You’re kidding! There’s now way you got ten thousand gold in the time Seliph and I were gone.”

“The proof’s right here,” Ares said as he shook his pouch full of coins. “Nobody’s particularly loaded around here, but there were enough people coming to watch that all the donations piled up. Most of it came from a handful of wealthy merchants, though.”

“Um, excuse me, but have you heard any word of Julia?,” Seliph interrupted. He didn’t really want to cut into the conversation, but he had been promised help in finding his sister.

But sadly, Ares shook his head. “I wish I could say I have, but I’d be lying if I did. I spoke to both townsfolk and travellers, but none of them have seen anyone matching the description of your sister.”

Seliph wished he could say he was surprised, but he wasn’t. He couldn’t possibly be that lucky, after all. The search will just have to continue and he would just have to get used to not raising his hopes up. “Alright. Thank you anyway for trying.”

“Has there at least been any interest in hiring a mercenary or two from anyone?,” Lene asked.

“Unfortunately, no,” Ares said. “Most of the people around here don’t want to call any attention to themselves what with the Loptrians being present. After all, it’s only a matter of time until they start taking children away.”

“But wouldn’t that be reason enough to hire a mercenary?,” Seliph asked. “Hiring someone to fight on your behalf would basically be like buying protection for your children in the case that the Loptrians try to kidnap them.”

“It’s not as simple as that. Most people don’t exactly have a lot of confidence in the service of a mercenary for such an important issue let alone the funds,” Ares explained. “Mercenaries have a bit of a reputation for being quick to follow any and all coin but even quicker to turn tail and save their hide to fight another day, not to mention how quickly they’ll change sides for the right price. After all, you can’t make money if you die. That coupled with the fact that the Loptrians have been such an oppressive force in the last year or so and people aren’t too keen to hire potentially untrustworthy strangers who will probably still lose in a fight anyways. Basically, hiring a mercenary is pretty much asking for the Loptrians to kidnap your children.”

“To them, their best option is to simply hide their children away and hope they aren’t found,” Lene finished. 

“That’s… so sad,” Seliph lamented. To live in the constant fear of your children being in danger and taken away must be so painful. For a moment, he wondered if it was similar to how his own mother felt in her final moments as she watched her children be taken away from her one by one. And for another moment, he remembered how much it hurt to see his own loved ones be ripped away from him.

“It is, but that’s just how it is nowadays,” Lene continued with a sad sigh. “Either way, looks like I’ll just have to find work elsewhere. We should probably shop for some provisions, vulneraries, and various other supplies before we head out.”

“Wait, we aren’t staying the night here?”

“Nope. Ares and I never stay in one town or city for very long unless if I have a job,” Lene explained. “It’s better for us to camp out in the wilderness most of the time.”

“If nothing else, I can practice my dance routines in peace and quiet,” Ares added sarcastically, though he probably meant it.

“I don’t think I get it…,” Seliph admitted.

“Don’t sweat it! You will soon enough,” Lene assured him. “Especially since the Loptrians are less likely to bother us or, more importantly you, when we don’t stay in town.”

That, at least, was a fair enough point. The longer they stayed, the more likely it would be for the Loptrians to try and pull something. For someone who wanted to avoid that blasted cult at all costs, Seliph inwardly cursed himself for not thinking about that. Just a moment later however, as the trio started heading towards Chettcott’s exit, that line of reasoning was derailed by the frantic screaming and begging of a woman back in the town square. Turning to look, it was plain as day to see that the Loptrians were starting to cause trouble.

Seliph was almost certain that he was simply cursed at this point.

The woman who had screamed was on her knees, tugging on the robes of a cult member and begging him to let go of her child. The Loptrian, in turn, spit on her and yanked himself away from her along with the child who’s wrist he held onto with a death grip. It was a tragic scene to watch as the woman desperately tried to convince the Loptrian to spare her son only for her to be beaten back for her troubles. As for the woman’s son, he tried his best to free himself of his captor, but he could be no older than ten and lacked the strength to fight a full grown adult. And the crowds of people that populated the area? They did nothing to help, only sat back and watched the scene play out.

“We have to help them,” Seliph said out loud.

“Excuse me? Are you crazy?,” Ares asked. “There’s only three of us and way more Loptrians than that crawling through the streets of Chettcott. Fighting them is just asking for death.”

“But…” Those people are in trouble. Seliph’s people are in trouble. He is their prince, he can’t simply do nothing. But more than that, he couldn’t watch as a family is torn apart in front of him. He can’t watch anyone go through what he did. He can’t watch as mother and child are separated. Not again. He took a deep breath, steady and composed, “I won’t stand idly by. If I have the chance to help someone, no matter how difficult it is, I will take it.” Because now he isn’t helpless anymore. He can do something this time.

“You’re crazy,” Lene said, “but maybe not too crazy. Now that you’re here and able to heal us, we may be able to pull through and win a fight with such uneven odds.”

“Both of you are insane,” Ares argued.

“And you aren’t? I know what you’re thinking. You’re itching for a fight just as much as we are.”

“I wish you didn’t know me so well, but I can’t deny that Mystletainn craves the blood of men.”

Wait, Mystletainn? As in one of the Holy Weapons once used by Hezul of the Twelve Crusaders? Seliph wanted to ask about that, but he brushed it aside for now. There was a much more pressing issue at hand. “You’ll both fight? Even though the odds are slim, you’ll help me?,” he asked.

“I should think it goes without saying,” Lene smirked. “Just about everyone despises the Loptrians, anyways.” Saying that, she then gave a confident wink before casually approaching the Loptrian who was dragging away the young boy. Stopping the Loptrian in his tracks she asked, “Excuse me, but could you unhand that young boy?”

The Loptrian sneered at her request. “No I cannot. I have direct orders to take all children from the ages of nine to thirteen directly to Belhalla.”

“Direct orders from whom exactly?,” Ares asked as he joined Lene by her side. “Let me guess: It’s some big shot ‘noble’ who doesn’t care about the people, right? We don’t exactly care who gave you your orders. What we’re asking isn’t a request.”

Seliph, meanwhile, hid himself just behind his companions, barely peeking out to see how the Loptrian responded. Though he wanted to stop the cult responsible for kidnapping children, he still needed to keep his identity hidden as best as possible. So, he watched the Loptrian carefully in anticipation.

“How dare you! This is a mission given by our Lord and saviour, Loptous, himself,” the Loptrian exclaimed, “and approved by Emperor Arvis himself!”

Hearing his father be talked about in such a way immediately filled Seliph with rage. There was no way- it was impossible- that Arvis had approved such a horrendous order. Seliph had grown up with the man himself his entire life, if anyone knew what Arvis would do, it would be him. Not waiting for Ares or Lene to respond, Seliph pushed them aside, grabbed his heal staff and- with a sudden and unexpected burst of strength- took a swing at the Loptrian’s face.

The blow was strong enough to surprise even Seliph as the Loptrian was knocked out instantly upon contact with the staff’s end. The Loptrian let loose his grip on the child he was holding and crumpled to the ground. For a brief moment, Seliph wondered where exactly that sudden strength came from. He was much too physically frail for it to be natural and it felt a little like when he drew upon his Naga blood while practicing light magic. The only difference was that it was much, much greater than ever before.

Dismissing the thought for the time being, Seliph noticed that time practically stood still in the town plaza. Onlookers were frozen with shock as none of them expected anyone to attack a Loptrian, Ares and Lene looked between each other, obviously surprised by Seliph’s actions, and even the little boy and his mother looked on with gaping mouths. No one moved and no one made a sound as everyone processed the last few seconds.

And then, “What are you idiots doing?! Go after them!”

The other Loptrians who had witnessed the attack on their ally shouted to each other and sprung into action. Consequently, that snapped everyone else out of their stupor, citizens beginning to panic and run away to safety. The woman who was the start of this all reached for her son and pulled him along with her, telling him to hurry. That left Lene, Ares, and Seliph to face the incoming threat themselves.

To Seliph’s left, Lene drew her rapier and to his right, Ares drew the sword he claimed was Mystletainn. Seliph himself only held his staff closer to him, unable to fight himself but ready to do what he could. It was time for his first real battle.

“Seliph, stick by side,” Lene commanded, though she didn’t look away from the quickly approaching Loptrians. “Don’t stray away for any reason.”

Seliph nodded, “Got it.”

“Good.”

With no other words needing to be shared, Lene and Ares rushed the enemies, Seliph following close behind. The Loptrians, meanwhile, wasted no time in casting their magic, but dark magic was difficult to use and took longer to cast than any other magic. That was why neither mercenary nor dancer had any trouble avoiding the blasts of dark magic. Seliph watched and followed along, doing his best to copy Lene’s movements. If he moved the way she did, he might learn something that could help him in future fights. So when Lene sidestepped to the right, he did too, and when she went left, he did too.

Within seconds the trio closed the gap between them and their targets, continuing to press the attack. This is where Seliph lost track of his companion’s movements. Lene’s swift assault was too difficult to follow for someone who sorely lacked experience, each thrust or slash of a sword registering as nothing more than a blur in his eyes. Little by little, Lene effortlessly whittled down her opponent with her rapid strikes, stopping them from being able to cast and leaving behind a countless number of cuts until the Loptrian gradually ran out of energy to keep fighting. And then it happened. Suddenly and without warning, Lene dealt the final blow by stabbing the Loptrian directly through the heart.

At first, Seliph watched the fight with intrigue and focus, hoping to learn from example. That train of thought, however, was derailed into feelings of horror when he saw Lene kill another person without hesitation. How, he wondered, how could anyone just do that? Just stab a person directly in the heart without even looking the slightest bit disturbed? All too suddenly, Seliph was brought back to the day his mother died in his arms. He could still vividly remember how Loptous didn’t hesitate to strike her down and he remembered how warm and sticky her blood felt on his hands as he held on to her and how they were stained such a vibrant red for hours before he was allowed to clean himself up. It was the same red he was seeing now as that cloaked Loptrian- that cloaked person- bled out lifelessly upon the stone and dirt of Chettcott’s town square.

The world was shaking and tilting, the noise surrounding him turning into a meaningless buzz. All Seliph could focus on was that haunting red colour and reliving his mother’s death at the hands of a merciless being wearing an all too familiar face.

“Seliph? Hey, Seliph, are you ok?,” Lene said as she turned back to make sure he was still following. Evidently, he was not from the way he stood around so stiffly with a haunted look on his face. Because of that, he ended up several paces behind her. “Seliph, what’s wrong?”

Seliph still wasn’t answering her. He didn’t even show any signs that he was aware of her presence anymore because, in truth, he wasn’t. He held on tightly to the staff in his hand, trembling with the force he exerted upon it as it acted as a threadbare anchor to keep him grounded. Breathing suddenly became an unfathomably difficult task, one that wasn’t helped at all by the nausea that turned his stomach.

Lene took out another Loptrian, a little more blood staining her rapier, and growled, “Damnit, I can see more of them coming this way… Ares, think you can handle the reinforcements for a bit? I need to help Seliph!”

Said dancer felled two enemies in one go with a particularly wide and powerful slash before he answered. “You always leave me to do the hard work,” he complained.

“So you can’t?”

“I didn’t say that. Considering how weak these guys are, taking on more at once should make for a semi decent challenge, at least.”

“That’s what I thought. Now cover me!”

“On it!”

Trusting Ares to handle the Loptrian reinforcements, Lene turned on her heels and ran back towards Seliph, who had lagged dangerously behind by this point. Sheathing her rapier for the time being, she gripped Seliph’s shoulders firmly and blocked his vision. The dead body he had been staring at should have been completely out of sight, replaced by the sight of her and only her. “Seliph, listen to me,” Lene started, “you need to snap out of it! We’re in the middle of a battle, I need you to stay with me. Just breath. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Match my pace.”

Seeing Lene encompass his vision completely, Seliph was brought back into reality just a little bit. Her green hair was nice, like the grass of the open plains and the forest and the trees and of the sight of freedom. She looked concerned and she held onto him with a firm yet gentle and comforting strength. The sight of her, alive and well and breathing methodically, was calming.

Seliph hadn’t noticed before, but he had started to hyperventilate, breathes coming quick and uneven much like the pounding of his heart. Now that Lene was here to help, her presence borderline cathartic, he shifted his focus to matching her breathing pattern as she had told him to do. Slowly, but surely, his heartbeat returned to normal and he once again found himself in reality.

“Better?,” Lene asked.

“Better,” Seliph answered. “I… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lose composure like that.”

“Don’t worry about it, but we’re kind of in the middle of a battle and Ares is defending us on his own. We need your help. Can we count on you?”

As Seliph was quickly learning, the world outside the castle was cruel and ruthless. For people like Lene and Ares, who had always lived traveling Jugdral, having to fight for your life was normal for them. It was a completely different lifestyle from what Seliph- sheltered as he had been- was used to. He needed to be able to face these things now or never, lest he fail his family before he even began to make things right. “Of course. I will do what I can,” he said. He was sure he looked nervous, but he managed to keep his voice steady and determined.

Lene let go of his shoulders, opting to give the younger boy a pat on the head before unsheathing her rapier once more. “Let’s get back to it, then,” she said with a comforting smile.

Even in a fight that resulted in death, she found the strength to smile. Seliph desperately wanted to know how she did it. Hopefully he would learn that very thing during his travels alongside her. Loosening his vice grip on his staff, he said, “Ok.”

Together, the two of them rejoined Ares in the fray. “It’s about time you got back,” the aforementioned dancer greeted them just as he finished off a group of five Loptrians. The strength he displayed while fighting was borderline inhuman, being able to quite literally dance around the enemies. However, everyone had their limits, no matter how strong they were. In the time he was fighting alone, Ares had managed to collect quite a few cuts, scrapes, and bruises.

“You’re hurt!,” Seliph exclaimed. “Here, let me help.” Swapping out his staves, he held out his mend staff and set it aglow with his magical power. The light then enveloped Ares and healed his wounds good as new like they were never there at all.

“So you can be useful after all,” Ares remarked.

“I have to make up for my earlier blunder,” Seliph said with determination. “I promise I won’t weigh you down anymore.”

“That’s nice and all, but you’re a little too late.”

“Huh?”

“I’m pretty sure I just took out the last of the Loptrians while you were busy with Lene,” Ares elaborated and gestured to the two dozen or so felled Loptrians.

Seliph chanced a glance at the bodies, but looked away just as quickly. It would still be a long while before he could stomach the sight of dead bodies. He at least got the point, at any rate. “I, er- I can see that,” he coughed. “I’ll just have to prove myself next time.”

“I’m sure you’ll be just fine,” Lene assured him.

Now that the town square had quieted down drastically, no longer filled with the sounds of fighting, the citizenry hesitantly started to leave their homes and filled the square once more. Whispering and chattering started up amongst them as they looked around, questioning what the fate of the combatants was. one by one noticed that the ragtag trio of teenagers were the ones who stood victorious, not the Loptrians. “They did it! They really did it! The Loptrians are no more!,” one village man shouted, setting off a chain reaction of cheers.

Seliph found it to be a tad flattering, if embarrassing, that the townspeople were so thankful for his and his companions’ actions. For all the good his title of Prince did him and his people, Seliph was glad that he could finally do something in service of them.

“Thank you all so much for helping us,” a woman said. Seliph turned and saw that the woman from earlier had approached him, Lene, and Ares. Her son wasn’t with her, but then again, it was probably for the best considering the mess the town square was in. “If it weren’t for you all, my son… well, I hesitate to even think of what might’ve happened to him.”

“It was no problem, Ma’am. We were glad to help,” Lene said sincerely, a bright smile on her face.

“Even so, I’d like you to have this as a token of my appreciation,” the woman continued as she held out a ring. “It isn’t much, but it may be of use to you. Supposedly it can amplify its wearer’s magical abilities.”

Lene took the ring from the woman and, with a light bow, she said, “Thank you very much. We’ll be sure to take good care of it.”

“Thank you again for your help.” And with that, the woman returned to the sea of people celebrating the Loptrian’s loss.

Seliph watched her until he couldn’t anymore and then watched as a couple townsfolk arrested the one Loptrian who was left alive, the Loptrian he himself had knocked out earlier. The Loptrian was still out cold, however. The Loptyr Church cult must have been even worse than Seliph thought if pretty much everyone hated them so much.

“Here, Seliph. I think you should hold on to this,” Lene said as she put the ring she was just given into his hand.

Seliph took the ring and asked, “Are you sure?”

“Of course! If it weren’t for you pushing us to action, the Loptrians would’ve continued to terrorize these people. Besides, only you can use magic, so it wouldn’t do me any good.”

“Thank you.”

“Alright, should we get going, then?,” Lene asked.

“Finally,” Ares sighed. “We’ve been here long enough as is.”

“Then let’s be on our way!”

Following his companions out of Chettcott, Seliph thought back on the rather eventful day. He had passed out only to wake up to strangers who had offered him kindness and let him travel alongside them. They were strangers who had readily fought against a dangerous enemy with him and agreed to help him look for his sister. They were strangers who could yet prove to be close friends. It was a lot more than the direction Seliph thought his day would go in. Still, it was only the beginning of a long journey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprised to see Ares and Lene swapped? Those of you who read the AN in the previous fic will probably know that I plan to have not just Seliph with an altered fate, but Leif and Altena swapped places as well. I figured, well if I was going to play around with the idea of characters having different roles, I couldn't very well leave out the last member of the Gen 2 trio. After all, Ares gets the short end of the stick compared to his Lord best friends. So then I thought about what sort of change I could make with him, then it hit me that swapping him with Lene would be really fun, so I did that. Naturally this means that Lene is swapped too and is now a mercenary. Still, though, their general personalities haven't changed nor have their holy blood or anything else like that. If you're curious, I got my main inspiration for dancer!Ares from this post:https://garmmy.tumblr.com/post/182325897869/brave-seliphleifares-alt-doodles-i-did-while the artist did a splendid job and does a lot of art for fe4, so please check them out!
> 
> As always, thank you for reading~!


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